College football Week 6: Schedule, Top 25 rankings, preview and more
📝 Tracking the undefeated
Just five weeks into the season, the undefeated field has dropped from 136 to 20. Last year, Oregon was the last team standing, going perfect through the regular season and the conference championships until a loss to Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals.
Here are some of the undefeated teams to watch in Week 6:
*Undefeated team is bolded
- No. 11 Texas Tech at Houston, 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4
- With both squads undefeated, this is the only game of the weekend that guarantees a team getting knocked off the list.
- No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4
- Can the Vanderbilt do it again? The road to 6-0 runs through Tuscaloosa for the Commodores.
- No. 3 Miami (Fla.) at No. 18 Florida State, 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4
- This is the Hurricanes' first road game of the season, and the Seminoles would love nothing more than to hand their in-state rival a '1' in the loss column.
- Louisville vs. No. 24 Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4
- Virginia knocked Florida State off the unbeaten list last week, and the Cavaliers look to roll that momentum into their matchup with the Cardinals.
- No. 6 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4
- The Bulldogs took No. 15 Tennessee to overtime last weekend, proving to be a real threat to the top half of the SEC. The Aggies better be ready to play Saturday night to stay unblemished.
👉 Click or tap here to find all 20 undefeated teams and their next opponents
🚍 GameDay headed to Tuscaloosa
The ESPN College GameDay crew is headed to Tuscaloosa for the anticipated rematch between No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 16 Vanderbilt. Historically, this decision would have turned heads as the Tide had won 46 of the past 48 matchups coming into last season, carrying a 23-game win streak into the 2024 showdown.
But times are changing in Nashville. The 'Dores carried last year's momentum into 2025 as Clark Lea has Vanderbilt at No. 16 in the polls — its highest rank since 2008 and the only other year the Commodores have been involved in a College GameDay matchup.
Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia has the third-highest QBR in the nation, and the Commodore offense is humming, averaging the fourth-most points per game in the FBS (49). They haven't seen an Alabama-caliber opponent this season, but no one can deny the hot start in Nashville.
As for the home team, the Tide just knocked off No. 5 Georgia for the 10th time in their last 11 matchups, bouncing back in a huge way after a Week 1 loss to Florida State. Quarterback Ty Simpson seems to have found his groove under center, throwing for 658 and six TDs in his last two games.
WEEK 6: TUSCALOOSA 👏
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
We’re heading down to Alabama as the Crimson Tide take on the undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores 😤 |
Fans should be in store for a high-octane offensive showdown as each team looks to remain unblemished in the SEC standings.
👉 Click or tap here for a complete history of College GameDay
🍿 Week 6 games to watch
Crazy to think we are almost halfway through the season, but that means the stakes are just that much higher. Week 6 brings some intriguing matchups to the table, and we might get some answers as to just how good certain teams are. Here are the games we are keeping an eye on into the weekend:
Saturday kicks off with the noon slate, which is frankly not as eye-popping as previous weeks, but there are still some key games to watch. No. 12 Georgia will look to bounce back at home against Kentucky, while No. 14 Iowa State will try to stay perfect against Cincinnati on the road. Clemson and North Carolina face off in the ACC, which looked like a better matchup in August, but it still holds big names, as the Tigers try to salvage the second half of the season.
The afternoon slate ushers in what could be the matchup of the day as No. 10 Alabama hosts No. 16 Vanderbilt. Yes, you read that right. Vanderbilt is involved in one of college football's premier matchups. Still in the SEC, No. 9 Texas travels to the Swamp as Florida will try to play spoiler against a relatively underwhelming Longhorn team thus far. Before the main ACC attraction, No. 24 Virginia and undefeated Louisville line up in what could be a pivotal conference matchup down the road.
But all eyes will be on the state of Florida in the night slate as No. 18 Florida State hosts No. 3 Miami. Last week, this matchup held more firepower with a top-10 FSU team, but this is still the Hurricanes' first road game of the season in a hostile Tallahassee environment. But if you don't like Florida, there are still other matchups to watch as Houston hosts No. 11 Texas Tech in a battle of two unbeaten, and No. 6 Texas A&M faces off with a gritty Mississippi State team hungry for an upset.
Here are the times and TV channels for some of the biggest games of the week:
📺 TV schedule for this week
Welcome to Week 6! Here is the Top 25 TV schedule to get you prepared for Saturday. You can also click or tap here for the complete TV schedule.
Friday, Oct. 3
Saturday, Oct. 4
- No. 1 Ohio State vs. Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. | NBC/Peacock
- No. 3 Miami (Fla.) at No. 18 Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
- No. 5 Oklahoma vs. Kent State | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
- No. 6 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
- No. 7 Penn State at UCLA | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
- No. 9 Texas at Florida | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 16 Vanderbilt | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
- No. 11 Texas Tech at Houston | 7 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 12 Georgia vs. Kentucky | 12 p.m. | ABC
- No. 14 Iowa State at Cincinnati | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 20 Michigan vs. Wisconsin | 12 p.m. | FOX
- No. 21 Notre Dame vs. Boise State | 3:30 p.m. | NBC/Peacock
- No. 22 Illinois at Purdue | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
- No. 24 Virginia at Louisville | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
📈 Week 6 AP Top 25 rankings
After a tumultuous Week 5 that saw four top-10 teams fall, we have a lot of shake-up in the latest AP poll.
Here are the full Week 6 rankings:
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State (46) | 1626 | 4-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (16) | 1589 | 5-0 | 6 |
| 3 | Miami (Fla.) (4) | 1529 | 4-0 | 2 |
| 4 | Ole Miss | 1354 | 5-0 | 13 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 1313 | 4-0 | 7 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1308 | 4-0 | 9 |
| 7 | Penn State | 1179 | 3-1 | 3 |
| 8 | Indiana | 1156 | 5-0 | 11 |
| 9 | Texas | 1071 | 3-1 | 10 |
| 10 | Alabama | 1057 | 3-1 | 17 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | 967 | 4-0 | 12 |
| 12 | Georgia | 965 | 3-1 | 5 |
| 13 | LSU | 838 | 4-1 | 4 |
| 14 | Iowa State | 830 | 5-0 | 14 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 697 | 4-1 | 15 |
| 16 | Vanderbilt | 640 | 5-0 | 18 |
| 17 | Georgia Tech | 549 | 5-0 | 16 |
| 18 | Florida State | 535 | 3-1 | 8 |
| 19 | Missouri | 528 | 5-0 | 20 |
| 20 | Michigan | 422 | 3-1 | 19 |
| 21 | Notre Dame | 333 | 2-2 | 22 |
| 22 | Illinois | 271 | 4-1 | 23 |
| 23 | BYU | 191 | 4-0 | 25 |
| 24 | Virginia | 125 | 4-1 | NR |
| 25 | Arizona State | 107 | 4-1 | NR |
Others receiving votes: South Florida 53, Utah 52, Mississippi St. 46, Memphis 38, Louisville 36, Southern Cal 22, Maryland 7, North Texas 7, TCU 6, UNLV 3.
📈 Risers
Ole Miss catapulted nine spots into the top five after knocking off former No. 4 LSU. The Rebels earned their highest ranking since 2014 with the win. Alabama jumped seven spots to No. 10 after a road win over then-No. 5 Georgia. The Crimson Tide improved to 10-1 in their last 11 matchups with the Bulldogs. Finally, Oregon bumps up to No. 2 after taking down former No. 3 Penn State in overtime on the road.
📉 Fallers
Florida State fell the furthest, dropping 10 spots after an overtime loss to unranked Virginia. LSU follows right behind, falling nine spots to No. 13. Georgia is down to No. 12 after the home loss to Alabama — its lowest rank since 2020.
👉Click or tap here to read the full breakdown of the Week 6 AP poll